Portsmouth Humane Society Blog

Monday, February 27, 2017

Soon after I was offered the position at PHS, I took some time to educate myself on Pit Bulls and the Bully type breeds. During my self guided tours of

the facility, Pit Bulls were certainly the predominant

dogs. I dove into books, documentaries and even YouTube videos to fully understand the popularity of “Pitties.”

I must admit, I had a biased opinion. My only interaction stemmed from a dog outing with our first rescue Weimaraner at a Care-A-Lot building back in

2006. My young daughter and I were shopping with “Nic” in the warehouse section of Care-A-Lot. Around the corner came a small (45 pound) Pit Bull

puppy and his owner. I asked if he was friendly, and

the owner said ‘yes,’ so I proceeded to allow Nic to

sniff. In a few seconds, the pup snarled and then

snapped at Nic. I quickly pulled him back. Nic had a

permanent piercing on his ear from that interaction. I was jaded for many years. As an owner of rescue dogs, I’ve always said,

“There is no such thing as a bad dog, unfortunately

the same cannot be said of people.” Be

it lack of interaction and socialization,

dogs of ALL breeds can be deemed

“bad dogs,” due to poor training.

Every Pittie with whom I’ve interacted

at PHS has been affectionate, smart,

playful and incredibly intelligent. A

few we’ve had here are so smart that

they begin to struggle in this captive-type

environment. Zach Flota, one of our Animal Care

Managers, noted to me during my first month, “This

is a wonderful place and this is a terrible place.” So

very true. We save animals from the dangers of the

great wide world by providing a safe harbor; but

imagine being confined every day in a cement cell or

a stainless steel box. Breaking up the monotony of daily routine helps all our animals. We are in the process of developing an

even greater Animal Enrichment Program. By June, we will have a full

time Animal Enrichment Specialist on our Team. Our goal is to provide our

animals with the extra help and stimulation to mentally make it through

their time with us until they are adopted.

So, back to the Pit Bull breed. The breed itself is not recognized by AKC,

though it is an accepted breed by the UKC—“American Pit Bull Terrier.”

AKC recognizes the American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull

Terrier which are often called “Pit Bulls.” They do have similar characteristics. The Pit Bulls we often see in our shelter are mixed with a variety of breeds, including Boxer, Mastiff, AmericanBulldog, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Bull Terriers to name a few.

The popularity of the breed isn’t a new thing;

however, the notoriety of the breed is a different

story (I won’t go into the notoriety in this

blog...Mr. Vick, shame on you). Pit Bulls can

be described as dogs who have a square

shaped head, cropped or short ears and range

in size from 45-85 pounds.

Though Pit Bulls have been in the negative

spotlight in recent years, there was a time in

America’s past when the breed was revered.

“Little Nipper” was the famous dog who listened to

the Victor Record Player with his head cocked

(much like Daisy above.) “Petey” was the beloved

Pit Bull who hung out with Spanky, Alfalfa and the

gang from “the Little Rascals,” shown below.

If you haven’t visited PHS in awhile, I invite you to

come and see us. Support from our community is

needed on a variety of levels: volunteering, donating

supplies from our Wish List, becoming a Foster Parent, or simply walking through and visiting our homeless animals. With your ongoing support, we can continue to provide a wonderful place for the stray, abandoned, and sometimes neglected animals who come through our doors.

Monday, September 16, 2013

It's been a long time coming, and today is the day. We are resurrecting our blogger page to add a new element to Portsmouth Humane Society - discussion. There are so many wonderful things going on and so many different things to participate in, but not a lot of ways to hear back from the community. This is your chance! We'd love to hear comments and insights on different ideas or things we are planning. We would love feedback on what we can do better or what you believe needs to chance. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention - we like positive feedback too! Let us know if you like something we're doing, that way, we'll keep doing it!We look forward to hearing from everyone over the next few days, months, etc.~~Jenn

Monday, May 16, 2011

Hundreds of paws paraded around Portsmouth during the 3rd Annual "Cause for Paws" 5K Run, Dog Walk & Festival, which was held Saturday April 30, 2011 at North Landing in Olde Towne Portsmouth. Over 300 attendees and their canine companions came out to support the Portsmouth Humane Society's annual fundraiser, which raised over $29,000- a record amount for the event!

A 5K Run kicked off the event, with over 100 participants running the course through Historic Olde Towne Portsmouth. Dogs and their owners then participated in a 1 mile dog walk which was followed by the Festival. Supporters were able to shop from local vendors, learn about the dedicated work of rescue groups, enjoy delicious food and relax to the music of the "Joint Therapy" band.

The money raised from the event will go towards our Capital Campaign for a new shelter. The urgent need for more space and the need to comply with new, more stringent state regulation has compelled us to embark on a capital campaign to improve our facilities with a new building.

At approximately 9,500 square feet, the new building will include expanded dog runs, an indoor exercise area, a cat play room, puppy and kitten nurseries, a humane education area, a lost and found station and more.

The cost of the new shelter will be $1.9 million with a goal to raise $1 million in private donations towards construction of the new facility. PHS has already committed and pledged funds that will cover almost half the costs of land acquisition and building construction.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

This is my favorite time of year- "Cause for Paws" time! The event committee is busy preparing for this fun-filled experience, which will take place on Saturday, April 30. Last year we raised a record-setting $25,000 for the animals and I am confident that we can surpass that amount this year. We've added a 5K Run to the mix or you can opt for the leisurely 1 mile Dog Walk. After that, stroll through the festival which will include local Rescue Groups, vendors, live music, food and more!

You can raise money to participate in the dog walk and even win some great prizes, including a Nintendo Wii! Create your own FIRSTGIVING webpage and supporters can donate directly to your cause!

Monday, February 21, 2011

I am thrilled to announce that we raised over $30,000 from the 1st Annual Fur Ball Gala on Saturday Jan. 29, 2011!! That is a tremendous amount, especially considering this is a first-time event. All the proceeds from the event, which was held at Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel, will go directly to the Capital Campaign for a new shelter.

The event was such a success that we have already set the date for next year- January 28, 2012! I cannot say THANK YOU enough to the sponsors, participants and guests of the event!! We could not have done it without your support!